What if someone told you how you could, or could not do something as simple as drying your clothes[2]? That’s the issue that several people and the communities they live in are battling over right now[3] in many separate but similar “clothesline wars” across the U.S. The linedryers’ argument? They want to be able to harness the power of the most eco-friendly “solar dryer” there is – the sun – by linedrying their clothing and believe they should have the right to do so. The landlords, property owners and community boards on the opposing side say that hanging laundry out of windows and in yards looks sloppy and lowers property value substantially. Who do YOU think is right? Sound off in our poll[4] after the jump!

Linedryers: The cold, hard facts:
As the green movement grows, more and more people are hanging their clothing out to dry[2] rather than using a conventional dryer which uses energy to make and to run. In addition to being earth-conscious, linedrying is wallet-conscious. People save on electricity costs by skipping the machine.

Anti-linedryers: The cold, hard, facts:
Landlords and community-board members have to think about the community as a whole, even if it means sacrificing some of the rights of individual inhabitants. Statistically, property values can decrease up to 15 percent (according to some sources) when hanging laundry is visible. And in a housing market[5] like the one we are in currently, every penny counts.

What is your stance? Should we be able to hang our laundry anywhere we want? Or should we respect our neighbors and their property by not putting our clothes on the line?